News

Several CDIA graduates have landed internships at the Studio of Photographic Arts (SOPHA) in Manchester, NH. SOPHA rents studio space to members – about 40 photographers, who use the space for shoots and client meetings. Read the article here.

Ethan Marcotte turned out a terrific crowd of about 50 Tuesday evening for his talk on Comp vs. Code. He simplified the complexities of design and development, and emphasized the importance of communication between designers and developers.

CDIA Film students are at work on their Independent Final Project. Here, Hannah Abelman leads her classmates as they shoot a scene from her short film script. The story - about friendship and solidarity - was written by Abelman. Her fellow crew members include Tom Scott, James Sullivan, Anna Kane, and Mark Medeiros. Actors include friends of the students as well as talent from Boston's acting community. The film will be shown at the Embassy Cinema at the time this class graduates.

3D Animation alum Joe Jancsics was recently featured on Hollywood East Connection, a movie and television career resource. After graduating from CDIA in 2006, he created bostonanimators.com as a networking forum. Joe is now a production artist at Sky Skan, the industry leader in making Full Dome theaters. Click here to read more.

This past Wednesday evening, Maureen Lawson, Co-Director of Waltham’s Career Services Department, accompanied 10 CDIA students and alumni to an exciting, informative session at Brickyard VFX on Newbury Street in downtown Boston. Brickyard VFX is one of the leading special effects houses in the U.S. In addition to being treated to a tour of their space, they were able to view samples of work along with celebrating their months of hard work on the feature film, The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock. Brickyard also revealed the release of a new training program that will start up in July. Selected candidates will attend an intense three- to four-week onsite training workshop on rotoscoping, which is used to create various special effects for films and commercials. CDIA students and grads were buzzing about the opportunity, which only has 5-10 seats. Brickyard VFX is no stranger to CDIA alumni, who have had CDIA grads Anu Liikkanen, Chris Kwiatkowski, Rory Fitz-Gerald, Chris Alexander, and Nick Dougherty there for internships and/or are still working there. Congratulations, all!

Saturday June 13, the Waltham Riverfest will wrap up its festivities at CDIA for an art auction and reception in Studio C from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. Refreshments from area shops and restaurants will be available. Click here for more information.

Several CDIA students are in the running to win a contest at 92.5 The River Independent Radio. They created a commercial for the radio station, and it’s among the top ten submissions. It’s “Different Generation – BU,” number three on the list. Check it out here and be sure to vote!

The Art Director’s Club of Metropolitan Washington (ADCMW) has chosen CDIA to receive their Design Leadership Award. The award is given to an organization in the local community that supports the value of good design, helps bring good design to the business community and the public, and has demonstrated partnership with the ADCMW to further these goals.
 
This Saturday, June 6, CDIA Executive Director Bob Daniels will accept the award at ADCMW’s 60th Annual Show Gala at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Find more on the Awards Gala here.

Associate Director of the Graphic and Web Design program, Al Lemieux, recently wrote a blog on the backward compatibility of the new Adobe CS4 upgrade. It can be viewed here. Or on our blog at www.cdiabu.com/blog/

Photography Instructor, Chris Alvanas, is featured in this month’s issue of Shutterbug magazine. His photos made the front cover, and a full article explores his technique of using HDR. Find more here.

Four photos from Rick Ashley’s Prom Series will be on display at BU’s Photographic Resource Center during the next exhibition, Exposure 2009. The gallery opening is Thursday, May 21, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and runs through June 28, 2009. Find more on Exposure 2009 here. Rick is the Director of the Photography program at CDIA at Boston University.

On Sunday, May 3,  the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, students in Museums and Public Memory at Brandeis University, CDIA at BU Associate Film Director Howard Phillips and film student Mike Nascimento collaborated for a digital projection project and sound event as part of the Boston CyberArts festival. The project features footage drawn from diverse aspects of the creative economies that have emerged along the Charles River, including the labor of textile workers, watchmakers, bicycle designers and artists. The work was projected on the walls of the Museum of Industry & Innovation and right on the waterfall!

Dates have been chosen for this July's Summer Photography Study Abroad in Nova Scotia.

Click here for more information!

PHOTOGRAPHING PLACE: LANDS AND PEOPLES OF NOVA SCOITA
ONE OR TWO WEEKS: JULY 12 - 25

Special Instructor: Robert Caputo. Since 1980 Bob Caputo has been a regular contributor to National Geographic. He has won awards from NPPA Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts and the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. His work has also appeared in Geo, Natural History, Life, Time, Outside Audobon and Scientific American. Bob has published two photographic essay books and has authored National Geographic field guides in photography.


NEW FOR 2009! TWO TRACKS AVAILABLE:
BEGINNER + INTERMEDIATE

The one-week Beginner Intensive Track (July 12-18) takes you through photography basics, using the backdrop of Nova Scotia to shoot assignments.

For those who finish the Beginner Intensive Track or already have similar experience, the Intermediate track (July 19–25) two-week track allows participants to delve deeper into photographing place on a more independent basis, while still benefiting from ongoing instructor support.

Dates:
Beginner Intensive (1 week): July 12-18
Intermediate (2 weeks): July 19 - 25


Pricing:
One-week track: $1,250
Two-week track: $2,350
CDIA students and alumni: Take ANOTHER 25% off!

Financial assistance is available.

While airfare, housing and meals are not included in the pricing, our staff is available to help with all travel arrangements.

Call 800-808-CDIA for more information and to register.

Michel Tcherevkoff drew a large crowd of photographers - student and professional - at last week’s lecture, “Reality with a Twist.” Tcherevkoff, sharing his drive, ambition, and accomplishment, was strong on his criticisms and sparing on praise for the photographers who opted for a portfolio critique. It was a great opportunity to be judged on such a high standard, and participants received advice and coaching from one of the top photographers in the business.

View Photo Alumni Mary Ann Alwan's blog on the event here.

Mention the film “Dawn” at the Boston International Film Festival in Somerville this Saturday and the price of admission will be reduced from $45 to $10! “Dawn” was produced by CDIA film alumna Kim Romano, directed and edited by Cody Romano, and features current CDIA film student André Phillips, Melanie Gárate, and voiceovers by CDIA Executive Director Bob Daniels and Gárate. The film is a short narrative based on the work of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and will screen at 6:30 p.m. Watch the trailer here.

Courtney Bent will be screening her film, “Shooting Beauty,” at the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFB), alongside the CDIABU Student Film Showcase. A documentary about photography, “Shooting Beauty” was rated by Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr as one of the 10 best films of the festival. The IFFB is on Saturday, April 25 starting at 12:15 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville.
 

Bestor Cram will be at CDIA Monday, April 13 for an interview on the IFFB Festival where “Folsom Prison Blues” will premiere. Cram directed the bio-pic about Johnny Cash and his role in prison reform. Cram owns and operates Northern Light Productions, a Boston-based media group that focuses on documentaries and social media. CDIA film instructors Franco Sacchi and Mark Chesak have worked there, as well as CDIA student-interns. Find more about Bestor Cram here.

Students and faculty held an HD shoot in Studio F with Greg Hawkes, keyboardist from The Cars. Don Berube, Howard Phillips, Carlo Libertini and Alec Francesconi worked on camera and sound. This shoot will be highlighted as a Movie of the Week on www.macvideo.tv, and music and film shots will be posted on www.greghawkesmusic.com.
 

CDIA photography alum Kelly MacDonald was featured on WBZ News for building her portfolio using an increasingly popular payment plan: bartering. Kelly uses Craiglist.org to find clients who are looking to trade goods for services, and the barter business has benefitted both Kelly and her clients. See the news clip here.

“White Elephants” will screen at the Boston International Film Festival as one of the 100 films selected out of 2,500 submissions from around the world. This short film recently premiered at the 2009 Boston International Women's Day Film Festival, and has been recognized by CDIA for Best Narrative Film, Best Direction, and Best Cinematography. The screening will be held on April 23, 2009, at 8 p.m. as part of Session 29 at AMC Loews Boston Common.

There was a great turnout for the screening at CDIA of "Jack in the Box," directed by local filmmaker Frank Kerr and produced by Michael Phillips. "Jack in the Box" has been picked up for worldwide distribution by NonStop Sales AB, a Scandinavian-based worldwide sales agent, representing more than 20 production companies and producers. Michael Phillips' Miledia Films has signed with them to represent the film, and it will make its debut at the Cannes Film Market in May. For a preview and stills of the film, go to http://jackintheboxmovie.com/. 
 

In partnership with the Capitol Communicator and DC Ad Club, CDIA provided a film crew to shoot the annual ADDY Awards in DC on March 17. Andy Harper, Bim Mamber and Sammie Bell worked the high profile event and the end result is numerous requests from local agencies requesting footage of their wins as well as the 5-minute clip posted on the first page of www.capitolcommunicator.com

Kathryn Mora’s documentary, “BIRTH”, aired three times on Waltham Community Access-TV last weekend. Mora previously screened the documentary at CDIA, and was just accepted to the Motherbaby International Film Festival in Northern California. The two-day festival begins October 10 at University of California, Berkeley.

CDIA Students Win Photoshop World 2009 Guru Awards.

One of the 100 films selected out of over 2,500 from around the world for the Boston International Film Festival (BIFF) was directed and edited by Cody Romano, produced by CDIA alumna Kim Romano, and features Melanie Gárate, current CDIA filmmaking student André Phillips, and voiceovers by CDIA Executive Director Bob Daniels.
 
DAWN, a short narrative, is based upon the work of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and follows two young lovers as they move through a labyrinth of hope, loss and unspeakable passion. Capturing the consumptive nature of desire, Cody Romano’s inventive and provocative short will be screened at the AMC Loews Theatre at Boston Common on Sunday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. The festival runs from April 17-26. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to: http://www.bifilmfestival.com/ 
 
Click here to see a trailer for "DAWN"
 
"DAWN" website
 
 

Boston University’s main campus has a highly diverse student population. CDIA’s part-time film students teamed up with BU to make a short film exploring this issue as part of their practicum project.

To view the film, visit http://vimeo.com/3760088

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare in the Park was the focus of a practicum project for CDIA’s part time film students. Bill Conant, Rose Carlson, and about a dozen other film students brought the project from start to finish. Steve Maler, artistic director of the Company, and a film instructor at CDIA, plan to show the film at an upcoming fundraiser, and Conant is working on extending the film for a more detailed look at Shakespeare in the Park.

For the full video, click here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr9UNOQSiRA

Photographs can pop up in the most unexpected places! CDIA photography instructor Bob Caputo made this image of an elephant herd and egrets in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, in 1985, while doing a story about the Nile River for National Geographic. Imagine his surprise when, last December, his kids opened a Christmas present and he saw it used on the box (and board too) of the Planet Earth Monopoly game. The photo also appears on the cover of the Planet Earth book and DVD set. Just goes to show that good photos never die - and the value of building up your stock archive.

www.robertcaputo.com

The screening of "Waiting for Armageddon" will be at the National Center for Jewish films at Brandeis University on March 25, at 7pm, Wasserman Cinematheque. Jewishfilm.2009, For the full story visit www.boston.com.

Waiting for Armageddon is a feature length documentary  co-directed and produced by Franco Sacchi,  a Filmmaker in residence at CDIA BU along with Award Winning  filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner. Waiting for Armageddon  received funds from the Sundance Documentary Institute, The Fledgling Fund and the Foundation for Jewish Culture and It was recently picked up for Theatrical and DVD distribution by First Run Features a New York based distribution company. The Theatrical Release is scheduled for this coming fall 2009. Hermine Muskat and Roberta Dougan, two graduates of the Film Program at CDIA are the co-producers of this film. For more info and trailer :  www.waitingforarmageddon.com

Four CDIA graduates landed internships with Bella Pictures, one of the best wedding photography agencies around! There were only six positions available and Jacqueline Stetson, Maryann Alwan, Yelena Malinovskaya (Waltham campus), and Amanda Powell (DC Campus) were selected for the 10-week program. Congratulations to Jacqueline, Maryann, Yelena, and Amanda – and to Rob Paine, Regional Photography Manager, Bella Pictures!

Kathryn Mora's documentary, "Birth," played at CDIA's Waltham MA Campus in Studio C on Thursday evening to a large crowd of nearly 100 people. This long labor of love resulted in an educational, entertaining and important film. CDIA alumni and staff helped Kathryn realize "Birth", including Erin Gallagher, Scott De Fusco, Maud Dillingham, Howard Phillips, and JP Ouellette.
 
"Birth" will be entered in MotherBaby International Film Festival (motherbabyiff.org) at UC Berkeley, hosted by Sage Femme (www.sagefemme.com). The film will also play locally on WCAC throughout the month of April.

C-SPAN recently taped a segment at CDIA's Waltham MA Campus on Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould's book  Invisible History: Afghanistan's Untold Story (City Lights Publishers; January 1, 2009). The video can be seen here or at www.C-SPAN.org.

 

3D Animation Alumni Eric Cloutier and Allen Brooks recently finished working on a video for Dream Village, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate kids on global issues facing children around the world through stories.

MacVideo.tv interviewed CDIA Filmmaking department faculty, Howard Phillips, Associate Director and Tom Robotham, Filmmaking Instructor, to get their views on various HD Cameras. To see the full video go to www.macvideo.tv.

CDIA film alum Kathryn Mora is in the news today for her film BIRTH. Visit the dailynewstribune.com for the article!

CDIA Instructor + Consulting Director of Photography, Rob Van Petten, recently shot a Nikon podcast on using the new D3X Camera. Check out his thoughts on the new camera at Nikon USA.

CDIA film student Ernesto Galan recently finished editiing director BC Furtney's film "New Terminal Hotel". The cast includes Stephen Goeffreys, Corey Haim, Ezra Buzzington, and Tiffany Shepis.

Ernesto Galan and CDIA film student Justin Mitchell have recently created Scalped Productions, specializing in music videos. Ernesto recently finished re-editeding a music video for the artist Houston Bernard, "I Feel Gorgeous". The video has reached the #1 spot on MTV LOGO.

Congratulations to CDIA Audio Production Alumni Abe Stein. He will be working at MIT/Gambit (http://gambit.mit.edu/) as the Audio Director!

CDIA Photography Alumni Sheryl Lanzel recently photographed a Boston Bruin's hockey player at a charitable event. Two of her pictures were published, one in the Boston Globe, only in the print edition on February 27, 2009, while the other photo was used by The Boston Herald, which can be viewed at www.bostonherald.com/search/?topic=P.J.+Axelsson&searchSite=recent Congratulations Sheryl!

What an exciting Networking Night last night! Our panel of CDIA alums: Anthony Marquette, Rory Fitz-Gerald, Kat-Alix Gaudreau, Shauna McNamara, Karen Kieltyka, Cody Signore, and Benjamin Greenspan, “told it like it is” to the attentive audience of around 80 CDIA students and grads from all programs. By providing real-world examples of their triumphs and solid, straight-forward advice, such as “be a professional always,” and “attend industry events to network,” in a simple, direct way, attendees left feeling encouraged, inspired, and energized.

Photo by: Haoyuan Ren

CDIA Filmmaking Alum Kathryn Mora recently wrote a feature article on the documentary This is Nollywood for Multicultural Review Magazine. The article is in Volume 17, Number 4, Winter 2008.

 

Everyone is invited to the International Women's Day Film Festival for a special premiere screening of WHITE ELEPHANTS on Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 4 p.m. Following the screening, a film discussion panel will be held with director and CDIA at Boston Univeristy Filmmaking Alum Chris Portal, and actress Ashley James.

The screening will take place at:

The Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle Street (Harvard Square)
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 876-6837

WHITE ELEPHANTS is a sensitive, slice-of-life story involving a youngcouple going through the normal course of their day, while coming to terms with an unexpected medical diagnosis. The film is a reflectionon the unfortunate hardships that can befall any couple, the decisionswe are sometimes forced to make, and the ability to support oneanother as best as one knows how.

Trevor Chamberlain (Filmmaking '06) recently announced his new position as Film and Video Producer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratories. He is extremely excited to begin this new adventure and has some advice for all CDIA students, prospective students and grads:

Career Services works – my story is proof of that.  The entire team work very hard to find job openings and show employers that CDIA produces students who are ready for the workforce.  I have had great luck in the last two years as a filmmaker and have worked very hard to accomplish my varied achievements since graduation.  However, this position at MIT is not only a great job, but also a major boost for my career that will pay off for years, possibly decades, to come.  I have the Career Services at CDIA to thank for that. 

Congratulations to Filmmaking Program Director Federico Muchnik and Artist-in-Residence Franco Sacchi! Both have succeeded in becoming Apple Certified T3 Final Cut Pro instructors. A great addition to an already stellar filmmaking program.
 

MDB Communications finalized an agreement with the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University (CDIA) – Washington, DC campus to form a strategic alliance with the digital arts institution.  This complements the announcement that MDB is launching a new online video production suite within the agency. Read more and see a little video at Capitol Communicator.

Current CDIA Film student Fethi Bendida will get his name in front of greater Boston film audiences late this spring, when Patrick Jerôme's locally-produced feature, "Walls Have Ears," plays at the Kendall Square Cinema. Bendida worked as First Assistant Director on the film, as well as playing an acting role. He began the process as a crew member, but was promoted after demonstrating his experience and skills. His responsibilities included managing crews and actors, assisting with script supervision, and location and transportation management. Although it was initially challenging, he's extremely glad that he took on the additional roles and responsibilities.

"Walls Have Ears" will run from May 29 to June 4, 2009, at the Kendall Square Cinema. See the trailer here.
 

Photography students from around New England were invited to submit their work to the annual Photographic Resource Center (PRC) Student Exhibition at Boston University - including CDIA's own Alex Uncapher, whose work was not only selected for the show, but was also the feature image on the PRC's direct mail campaign for the exhibition. The show runs through March 15; read more more about the show and hear from Alex here.

Congratulations to CDIA Photography student Vicente Casellas, whose illustration "Untitled," produced in the Photo Illustration module, placed runner-up in the Student Category of the fourth annual Photoshop User Awards. Casellas, who is enrolled in the photo program at CDIA while also finishing a business degree at Babson College, specializes in commercial portrait photography and digital photo development. He discusses how he created the image, a combination of two photos from his native Puerto Rico and one from Boston, on his blog.

Past and present CDIA Film students had the opportunity to showcase their work in front of an appreciative audience at Saturday’s Movie Madness Marathon.  The filmmakers, other current students and alums, and a few local film fans attended the event, held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Waltham campus. The morning portion of the Movie Marathon, presented by Filmmaking Program Director Federico Muchnik, featured films from the first few years of the program, including “Still On Her Keel” and “Glimpse.” In the afternoon, more recent films such as “Hobo Pool” and “1382 Days” were shown. Filmmakers who had the chance to display their work included Jean Michel Dilone, Ian Ross, Jessica Saccardo, Julie Tremblay, Mike Ouellette and Ruben Calderon. The event also allowed current students to meet and network with successful professional filmmakers, forming new friendships and valuable business connections. 

Opening Act Productions, a Washington, DC-area based production company for independent films, was thrilled to be able to use one of the studio in our Georgetown campus to do a photo shoot for the poster of their independent film, The Fellowship, which will hopefully be shot this summer pending financing. OAP President Ron Newcomb posted a video on YouTube of their shoot.

MDB Communications, a full-service advertising agency, announced today that it has finalized an agreement with the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University (CDIA) – Washington, DC campus to form a strategic alliance with the digital arts institution.  This complements the announcement that MDB is launching a new online video production suite within the agency.

Three senior executives from MDB are committed to the CDIA partnership. Gary Duke, EVP has been appointed to the Advisory Board at CDIA; Executive Creative Director, Richard Coad will address the CDIA commencement class of May 2009 and CEO, Cary Hatch will be a featured lecturer. In addition, CDIA will place students at MDB in 
internship programs designed to provide them with “real world” experience in an advertising agency, while honing their digital media skills.

"This is a perfect opportunity to take our proven talent as persuasive storytellers to the web.  Brands that tell compelling 
stories succeed. And in our current economic environment, this is a chance to offer high level creative thinking in a cost-effective 
environment," says Coad. MDB launches its new digital video suite with three new clients including promoting marketing initiatives for several existing agency clients including the DC Lottery, Fannie Mae and Samaritan Inns.

In addition to traditional advertising, the agency has experience working with companies, associations and nonprofits in such areas as branding, social media, securing online strategic alliances, and developing advanced SEM programs and contextual targeting initiatives.

Nine photographers from the CDIA community submitted their work for consideration to contract with Lonely Planet Images for their upcoming Washington, DC guidebook. It was a tough decision as they all showed extraordinary potential but LPI was only able to hire two.

Congratulations to CDIA-Georgetown alum Jason Colston and current part-time photography student Justin Mathews – LPI’s new photographers for the Washington, DC Encounter 1 Guidebook. LPI representative Ms. Mackinnon expressed how impressed she was with the level of talent she reviewed from CDIA. She truly enjoyed reviewing all their work as did the rest of the Australian LPI staff. She sends her sincerest thanks, appreciation and best wishes to all.

Photographer and marketing expert Skip Cohen spoke to a roomful of attentive photographers on Monday as part of the Big Shots at CDIA photography lecture series. In his lecture, “The Whacko Factor,” Cohen, who is the president of Rangefinder Publishing Inc., offered advice to portrait and wedding photographers about how to promote themselves both in professional circles and by forming relationships with their clients. He focused on the idea of “continuity marketing,” in which a photographer returns to the same clients repeatedly and photographs them and their families throughout the entire life cycle – from children’s portraits to weddings to senior portraits. The two-hour lecture also highlighted different ways to effectively reach an audience through networking, websites and more.

About 50 people from the CDIA student body and the general public attended the free lecture in Studio C on the Waltham campus.

Director Chris Portal is happy to report that his film (and final 
project as a student in the CDIA Filmmaking program) White Elephants 
was just accepted into the 2009 International Women's Day Film 
Festival in Boston, MA. The film will be shown as part of a program 
featuring local filmmakers the weekend of March 7-8. Following the 
screening, there will be a filmmaking discussion panel that lead 
actress Ashley James and Chris have been invited to participate in.

The festival program will be posted in early February, so specific 
day and screening time hasn't been scheduled yet, but additional 
details will be posted as they become available at 
www.whiteelephantsmovie.com.

A trio of CDIA grads will have the chance to showcase their talent next week during the New York Jewish Film Festival. Former Film Program students Hermine Muskat and Roberta Dougan co-produced the documentary film Waiting for Armageddon, which has its New York premiere on Wednesday, January 28. The 74-minute film explores the growing population of  evangelical Christians who believe that Israel and the Jewish people will have a central role in the coming apocalypse, and the effect of these beliefs on America's foreign policy. Another CDIA graduate, Jeff Ausura, designed and built the film's official web site, www.waitingforarmageddon.com, which includes more information about the documentary and a preview of the trailer. 

Screenings will be held Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m., and Thursday, Jan. 29 at 8:30 p.m., at the Walter Reade Theater in New York (165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.). Tickets may be purchased at www.thejewishmuseum.org/nyjff2009. A reception sponsored by the Foundation for Jewish Culture will follow the Thursday evening screening. 

CDIA-Georgetown alum Lauren Moon will be joining DC based nclud as a web designer and consultant. Nclud is a small DC web design and strategy studio comprised of highly talented and experienced industry consultants who work with clients to provide successful design solutions for the web. Congrats Lauren!

 

Congratulations go to Jon Berkowitz, Graphic & Web Design student at CDIA! His entry for the promotional holiday card for "The Spirit" was selected for printing and distribution by Lionsgate. Part of the project was to get the cards to real people - Jon and friends braved a cold Boston morning to hand out his winning card in front of the Loews Theatre. Great work!

Jon Berkowitz

Tom Thrasher

This past Wednesday Daniel Pink, author of three bestselling books on changing the world of work, came to CDIA Georgetown for a discussion of his latest work. Sponsored by the Capitol Creativity Network, the talk focused on the message and the medium (manga) of The Adventures of Johnny Bunko. Following Dan's presentation, the Social Media Creativity and Innovation Panel created a buzz with information about changing the business landscape and career choices.

On November 22, the CDIA Georgetown campus announced the winners of the DC Photo Week competition. There were hundreds of entries from both amateur and professional photographers.  The student photographers are as follows:  Wilson Roa, Amie Chou, Justin Mathews, Meaghan Gay and Steve Maxwell. Congrats to all! 

In order of appearance.

Aime Chou Honorable Mention - (student fine art)

Justin Mathews 2nd Place (student fine art)

Steve Maxwell 1st Place (student commercial)

Meaghan Gay    Honorable Mention (student wedding)

Wilson Roa Honorable Mention (student personal project)

This past Monday night we had two outstanding local attorneys Eric D. Sommers and Julia McAneny in for a talk on copyright infringement issues. The audience of about 80 students and alumni were so captive with questions that the speakers barely got through a half dozen presentation slides! The speakers were so impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and alumni that they offered to come back for a Part 2 on the issue! Thanks Eric and Julia, what an informative talk!

More news to come but here is the scoop: major film studio Lionsgate shopped around the country and tapped a few graphic design programs, including ours at CDIA, to produce holiday greeting cards to also serve as promotions for the film "The Spirit". Final details and winners are to be determined but keep your eyes open for more news soon.

Our Georgetown campus played host to two lectures during FotoWeekDC last week. Mirjam Evers discussed travel photography while our very own Photography Program Director Chris Alvanas explored the world of HDR imaging. The entire festival was a huge success and a great crowd of people came to CDIA to enjoy the lectures.
 

Our Waltham, MA Campus hosted the Ruff Cutz Indie Film Conference this year! From the great series of films presented in rough cut form, to the opening night gala, awards ceremony and especially a fantastic panel of presenters, the event was a big hit. Students, filmmakers and attendees from different venues all enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and the high-quality of events at the conference. It was organized and produced by Jamie Bentie, with the help of Associate Director of Digital Filmmaking Howard Phillips. Panel speakers included such industry professionals as Nancy Buirski of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, writer-producer-director Michael Corrente (A Shot at Glory , American Buffalo, Outside Providence, Brooklyn Rules and Federal Hill ), entertainment lawyer Robert L Seigel, entertainment attorney/ president of FilmPro Finance LLC Vinca Liane Jarrett , and panel host Carol Patton of Imagine Magazine.

Feedback from attendees has been nothing short of "thrilled and impressed" with the value of the conference, as were vendors such as HB Communication, The Camera Company, Film Star Rental (who brought and filmed interviews with their latest RED camera!), The FIlmmakers Collaborative, Image Icon Entertainment, FMC, The Rhode Island Film Festival, and many others.

Reason.tv is home to The Drew Carey Project and other great videos, including the latest, most compelling stories about freedom from all corners of the Internet ... such as a new series by Lineplot Productions called "Save Sonny." The series features sound design by CDIA Audio Production alum Scott DeFusco. Check it out on reason.tv - especially the latest one; awesome!

We had yet another fantastic Career Fair last week at CDIA-Waltham. About 25 companies came to the event including 38 Studios, NESN and Powderhouse Productions. They were all very impressed with the school and the level of preparation and professionalism our students displayed. One hundred and fifty students/alums came through during the day to meet potential employers; quite a few actually landed interviews and job offers that day. Great job!

Photo by Ren Haoyuan

This past Monday night we had local commercial photographer Tom Kates come in for a talk about business and ideas on marketing, standing out from the crowd and just getting out there. Tom's clients include Tufts Healthplan, Iron Mountain and Trustees of Reservation. Almost 100 students and alumni attended, and it was a blast. Thanks, Tom!

November 15th marks the beginning of the first annual DC Foto Week event here ar the Washington DC Campus.  We are proud to announce five finalists. There were hundreds of entries from both amateur and professional photographers.The students are as follows:  Wilson Roa, Amie Chou, Justin Mathews, Meaghan Gay and Steve Maxwell. Congrats to all!  The images will be on display at a local gallery for the entire week of the event and winners will be selected at the end of the event on November 22nd.  Good Luck!

CDIA's Georgetown campus is starting a salon group that will consist of working photographers who will meet monthly to review digital portfolios from students and alumni.  A schedule and event sign up is in the works and will be limited to the first 6 students and alumni.  The meeting will consist of a 15 minute review and comment on work leaving 30 minutes at the end of the meeting for Q&A.  The image set up and quantity of images will be outlined in the details on the sign up sheet.  We hope to kick this off with our first meeting before the Winter Break. More information to come soon....

On November 12, BU alum Scott Kirsner, Boston Globe "Innovation Economy" columnist and author of the new book, "Inventing the Movies," will give a multimedia presentation on 100 years of technological innovation in the film industry. This is a free event; everyone is encouraged to attend. Find more information at www.mos.org.

Photography Program alum Damian Hickey is excited to announce that one of his photos appeared in the September edition of Architectural Digest. Page 252 includes an ad for interior decor company Janus Et Cie featuring a credited photo of their new showroom at the Boston Design Center. Nice work!

Allen Brooks, a student at our Georgetown campus, was recently featured on GameCareerGuide.com. He wrote an entire article about his career switch from teacher to 3D animation student at CDIA. The article includes his story as well as some tips for others going through a career change. It's a courageous decision to make and as Allen wrote: "I am continually reminded that my decision to attend was the right one."

CDIA Photo Instructor John Still is excited to announce that one of his photoillustrations titled "Long Season" is up for auction in the 2008 PRC Benefit Auction this Saturday, October 25. The Photographic Resource Center is a New England non-profit supporting the photographic arts and is located on the main campus of Boston University.

From the PRC: "This annual exciting event provides an opportunity to glimpse (and own!) close to 200 fine framed photographs from leading regional and national photographers through live and silent auction. The preview exhibitions are up through October 19 and all images are available via elegant print and online catalogues." A great cause. Find more information online.

The Boston Photographers Guild held their first meeting at CDIA-Waltham this week with over 50 attendees. Special guests included Michael and Anna Costa from Santa Barbara who were just fantastic to hear from. An old Rolling Stone pro - who also shoots rock star weddings - showed up and could be interested in holding a workshop here - stay tuned!

Our students had an opportunity to introduce themselves to the pros and announce their avaiilability to assist! They were able to take part in some great discussion on marketing and standing out in the wedding photography business. Next up: possible workshop on How to Be An Awesome Assistant by the Graziers. 

On October 2, Attorney Andres Quintana came to speak to a huge crowd of area professional photographers at CDIA-Georgetown. Presented by the APA/DC, the event provided an overview of current copyright law, as well as some of the common misconceptions concerning protection of photographic works. Considering the new Orphan Works bill, the presentation was both timely and informative.

CDIA Filmmaking instructor Gary Henoch received an Emmy Award® last week for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Lighting Direction and Scenic Design. Gary won the award for his work on Forgotten Genius NOVA on PBS. The 29th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards were presented at Lincoln Center on September 22. Congratulations!

It's a first for CDIA! One of our most recent Practicum Program projects included output to the industry-standard Blue Ray DVD format. The client, Boston Foundation for Sight worked closely with a group from the graduating filmmaking class – who shot with Canon AH-XL-A1 cameras, edited in HDV and created HD, HDV and SD masters – to create a great piece of digital media.

"We are thrilled that this wonderful Practicum project turns out to be a first for CDIA," exclaims Bill Rosenthal, Director of Patient Affairs for Boston Foundation for Sight. "This project was designed to be used as a new patient information video. However, the production is so moving and powerful, we present it whenever possible. It is not only a valuable information asset, but a potent fundraising tool as well. To then have this delivered in a format compatible for Blue Ray left us speechless, and we are forever grateful."

Cramer Productions duplicated the BlueRay DVDs. Student team members included Malorie Stockell, Adam Stone, Kevin Burke, Nathan Kempf and Bryan Lee.

It's official! CDIA - Waltham will be hosting the second annual Ruff Cutz Indie Film Conference. The conference will take place from November 14–16 and will include screenings (submit your entires!), vendor show and workshops. For more information visit http://www.rcifc.com/.

CDIA staff, students and alumni are eligible to receive 50% off a full conference pass; visit RCIFC for details. And... receive 40% off entry fees for your film submissions; click here for details.

CDIA DC Film Practicum Instructor Jeanine Butler's new film, "Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the F.S.A./O.W.I. Photographers" airs tonight on PBS! An article in today's NY Times goes in-depth with a description of the piece.

http://documentingamerica.org/Home.html
http://www.pbs.org/tvschedules/

Tune in everyone, and congratulations, Jeanine!

DC Campus Digital Filmmaking Instructor Ted Duvall has been working for several months on a project finally ready for prime-time. This Thursday, August 7 at 8pm on the Discovery Channel marks the first installment of the second season of Some Assembly Required, a G-rated smash hit, fun for the whole family and undeniably destined to become a television legacy. Tell a friend, invite the neighbors, have a party, set your TiVo, and be prepared to be entertained.

Digital Tap is a small independent studio that creates animated films for kids. And they have just teamed up with CDIA-Walthams 3D Animation Department to create models for their latest project, Whiz Kids. Having heard about the talent in our classrooms, the studio has asked the students to create some prop, environment and other models for use in their full-length, straight-to-DVD feature animation. Students whose model(s) are chosen for the film will not only have their names appear in the credits, but a to-be-determined prize will be awarded by CDIA. How great is this?! Good luck, everyone!

MC Hazedous, a female rapper from Dorchester, MA, tapped CDIA Audio Production student Lacey Bowens to record her song, I Gotcha. Lacey also did some additional production on the track in the main CDIA studio. The song got some air play earlier this year on popular Boston radio station, JAMN 94.5. "Right now I'm mostly making beats for other MCs," she said. "But I'm also working on starting a radio station next year in Maine. And, of course, always looking for local artists and talent to produce beats for."

CDIA's film and photo workshops in Prague are just moving into their final week of instruction and field work. During the past month, participants, accompanied by CDIA instructors, have explored Prague's historic district, filming and photographing material for their projects, which have included: a short film about a group of artisans replacing a large stained glass window in one of Prague's famous churches; a photographic report on the city's landmarks; a documentary on old and new housing in the area; and a photo shoot on historic Charles Bridge.

Over 150 graphic & web designers from the DC area came to CDIA Georgetown to hear Ellen Lupton speak about design and type. Ellen is a writer, curator, and graphic designer, and director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. She also serves as director of the Center for Design Thinking. As curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum since 1992, she has produced numerous exhibitions and books, including Mechanical Brides: Women and Machines from Home to Office (1993), Mixing Messages: Graphic Design and Contemporary Culture (1996), Letters from the Avant-Garde (1996), and Skin: Surface, Substance + Design(2002). CDIA evenuses her textbooks in our Graphic & Web Design program!

Take a look at what just some of our successful grads have been up to:

Filmmaking grad Erin Gallagher recently finished her assistant editor contract with WGBH, the single largest producer of PBS programming: “I still can't believe I got the job! What an amazing opportunity - a huge challenge but worth every second.”

Besides shooting as a staff photographer for ATVriders.com, Garrett Hamilton is carving out a nice freelance business for himself: “I have been doing work for Factory Kawasaki in California! They have been using my images for in-house marketing and research.” Check out :www.garretthamilton.shutterchance.com

Jon Adams, who finished his 3D Animation certificate in May 2008, has accepted a position as 3D Modeler/AutoCAD Technician at DJS Associates in Pennsylvania: “I am very excited to begin more of an 'official' career journey.”

Kristen Foresto is now the Graphic & Web Design intern at Mass Audubon: “They were very excited to find someone with my unique qualifications and knowledge of the organization that they made a position here for me.”

Freelancer Scott DeFusco is obsessed with sound design. Career Services helped him land a killer gig after he finished the Audio Production program: “I am now working on my third project for LinePlot Productions - part of a seven-piece animation series for http://www.reason.tv"

Digital Filmmaking Program Co-Director Federico Muchnik has won a 2008 Telly Award for his use of humor in a corporate/industrial video. Customer Service to the Rescue was written and directed by Muchnik for Enterprise Media, a Cambridge-based distributor of videos for the workplace.

Photography Co-Director Rob Van Petten has recently been selected as the keynote speaker at the Professional Photographers of America Convention. The event, which will be held in Phoenix in January 2009, provides a forum for professionals to network with and to learn from the best photographers in the world.

Our very own 3D Animation Program Director Howard Kaplan makes the news with an amazing look at just one of the ways animation works: bostonherald.com

The event, organized by Cheryl Colombo Photography, is a benefit to raise funds for Pug Rescue of New England (PRONE) and Yankee Chihuahua Rescue. Proud dog owners will have the opportunity to have professional images made of their "babies" in exchange for a donation to the rescue.
If anyone has a pug or chihuahua and would like to join the fun, please email to RSVP: cheryl_colombo@yahoo.com.

Also featured recently was instructor Pete Anderson. His interview even showcased at 3DVIA's DevCon booth:www.3dvia.com/blog/2008/06/17/featured-artist-peter-anderson/.

Photo by Amin Rahnama.

Photo by Astri Wee.

Photo by Lawrence Luk.

Photo by Lawrence Luk.

CDIA at Boston University has partnered with a local organization, Conscious Consuming, to make a film starring local comedian and political activist, Jimmy Tingle. Tentatively entitled "Jimmy Tingle Saves The Planet", this short film, produced by students at CDIA, takes a humorous look at how our society lives and what we might do to combat climate change and global warming.

Digital Filmmaking Program Director Federico Muchnik directed the twenty-minute film which addresses three main areas in which individuals can contribute toward reducing carbon gas emissions: transportation, food, and housing.

"We wanted to tell people there were real steps they could take that could make a difference," states Muchnik. "When Jimmy agreed to be in our film we knew we'd have a positive, fun and educational film." The project is currently being fine tuned by Muchnik and his team and will be released in fall 2007.

On April 28th, CDIA held a student showcase at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, Somerville. The event was part of CDIA's sponsorship of the Independent Film Festival of Boston where the best new American and foreign films are shown.

CDIA's contribution of films included:

Words of Wisdom - directed by Michelle Surette
Homes for our Troops - class project
Hunting Season - Ruben Calderon
Shakespeare's Monkey - Mike Ouellette
Ameranouche - Geoff Pennington
240 - various directors
Bon Appetit - Dave LaCarubba
Sick - Trevor Chamberlain
Lenny's Girls - Ben Howard

A party and barbecue took place after the screening. Courtesy of CDIA, guests were treated to food provided by Redbones BBQ. Congratulations to all participants!

Many of CDIA's film entries were again honored with nominations and wins at the wonderful Sundeis Film Festival this year. Held at the Brandeis University, also in Waltham MASS, this is the festival's 3rd year of existence, and is the 2nd year that CDIA has actively participated in it. Many students and faculty attended, with Howard Phillips, Associate Director of the Digital Film Program officially representing CDIA. "It's really exciting to see our students work being celebrated along with film entries from schools across the country, and it's especially inspiring to see how the judges agree that CDIA is creating some solid filmmakers! I had the great pleasure of working with Scott Feinberg and Alison (...) at Brandeis, as well as with Federico Muchnik here at CDIA, and the festival was really a lot of fun. And what a treat to see "All that Jazz" on the big screen, and then to meet and be part of a Q and A with Roy Schieder. Not to mention the great honor of meeting Patricia Neal as well! The atmosphere at Sundeis was once again a high-energy, high-friendly and fun event. "Students in our Photo and Film departments had the opportunity to take pictures, record events and interview attendees, faculty and stars - what a treat!" notes Howard.

CDIA at BU nominated-and-winning films were the following:

Nominated for Best Cinematography; Hunting Season (Reuben Calderon) and 240 (Yari Wolinski,Richard Stack, Mike Kowalczyk)
Nominated for Best Documentary: Castles of Sand & Water (Trevor Chamberlain)
Nominated for Best Music: Hit or Miss (David LaCarabba & Michael Ouellette)

Best Editing: Hit or Miss, Castles of Sand and Water
Winner: Castles of Sand and Water

Best Actor: Sean Baptiste (Sick), Harry Gordon (Shakespeare's Monkey, Michael Ouellette),
Winner: Sean Baptiste - Sick

Best Actress: Sandra Struthers (Hunting Season), Sara Christie (Hit or Miss), Shannon Brandt (Bon Appetit) - all CDIA films!
Winner: Sandra Struthers - Hunting Season

Best Screenwriting: Hit or Miss (David Lacarubba & Michael Ouellette)

Best Film: Hit or Miss (David Lacarubba & Michael Ouellette)

CDIA Alumni's Film Wins Awards, Screens in 14 Festivals

Kim Romano's film Muriel is doing wonderfully on all kinds of fronts. CDIA alumni Kim Romano’s film “Muriel” won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at the Wood’s Hole Film Festival on Saturday August 5, 2006.

Winner, BEST DOCUMENTARY Northampton Film Festival
Winner, BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY, Woods Hole Film Festival
Finalist, SF Shorts of San Francisco

Selected for the permanent collection of the Library of Congress.

The Boston Phoenix's Gerald Peary writes: "Hollywood cliches apply: this is a laugh-out-loud documentary, with a showboating, charismatic lead character whose fall-down life is the stuff of great standup comedy. A splendid, crowd-pleasing first film from Kim Romano."

Johnny Ray Huston, San Francisco Bay Guardian:
"Even better is Kim Romano's Muriel, a profile of a 67-year-old woman in Key West who tosses off one-liners that Woody Allen would covet; Romano has a gift for funny and even poignant framing, and there are more vivid characters in her 19-minute movie than you'd find in a full day of Sundance drama features."

The Keynoter, Key West, Judi Bradford:
"Kim Romano's outrageous and poignant documentary short "Muriel" jammed the Tropic Cinema last week,
turning folks away who had not heeded the recommendation to reserve a ticket...

WCVB-TV Boston’s Chronicle recently featured CDIA’s Digital Photography Program Director Cary Wolinsky in a segment which profiled professional photographers in the digital age. The news feature, which aired on Channel 5 on September 12, highlighted CDIA’s Certificate Programs in digital media and state-of-the-art facilities on Moody Street in Waltham. Chronicle also followed Photography Alumni Chris Shelley as he described his Practicum experience and printed his images for an upcoming photo exhibition to benefit Zumix, a non-profit youth arts organization in East Boston.

In April 2006, a crew of CDIA students and alumni including Rick Stack, Yari Wolinsky and Ryan Nelson, competed in the annual 48 Hour Film Project. The film, 240, was selected as one of the Best Boston films of the year.

Check out a video podcast of “240″.

The 48 Hour Film project challenges filmmakers in cities across America and internationally to write, shoot, and edit a film, using a randomly drawn genre and including specific characters, props, and lines of dialogue in under 48 hours.

For more information on the 48 Hour Film Project, see their website.